The Abbas ibn Ali Türbe () is a

Bektashi Bektashism (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the wali, ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The ...

türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

( "shrine", or ''mekam'', "holy tomb"), a shrine traditionally considered to be the resting place of

Abbas ibn Ali Al-Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (, 15 May 647 10 October 680 CE), also known by the kunya Abu al-Fadl (), was a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Rashid caliph in Sunni Islam and the first Imam in Shia Islam. His mother was Fatima bint ...

(647–680), a son of

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

. It is situated on the southern peak of Mount

Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain chain in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-col ...

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...

, south-central

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. A large annual pilgrimage is currently held every year from 20-25 August. The shrine, originally constructed in 1620, is included in the

List of Religious Cultural Monuments of Albania A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...

Bektashi traditions

According to the traditions of the

Bektashi Order Bektashism (, ) is a Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The Bektashi co ...

, a Sufi community based primarily in

() went to

on a white horse to save it from the barbarians. Today, he continues to return to Mount Tomorr in Albania for five days (August 20–25) each year, during which animal sacrifices are made and homage is paid to Abbas ibn Ali. During these five days, Bektashi pilgrims visit the türbe, which is believed to house the remains of Abbas ibn Ali. The mausoleum lies adjacent to the Bektashi tekke on Mount Tomorr, which was built in 1916. In another Bektashi legend, Haji Bektash once saw Christian pilgrims ascend Mount Tomorr on August 15, the feast day of the

Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was ra ...

. He responded by making a journey to the grave of Abbas ibn Ali in the holy city of

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

, where he dug up an arm bone belonging to Abbas ibn Ali. Haji Bektash then threw the arm bone up onto the peak of Mount Tomorr, thus turning the mountain into the second sacred grave (türbe) of Abbas ibn Ali.

In Albanian literature

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, translator, and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening. Regarded as a pioneer of moder ...

wrote in a poem in his 1890 poetry book ''Luletë e verësë'' ("Summer Flowers"): Original Albanian text

''Abas Aliu zu’ Tomorë,''
''Erdhi afër nesh,''
'' Shqipëria s’mbet e gjorë,''
''Se Zoti e desh.''

English translation

Abbas Ali took over
Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain chain in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-col ...
,
He came to live with us,

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
was no longer afflicted
For God came to love it.

Gallery

File:Tomorr mountain – tyrbe on top of the peak - Mapillary (dbzVXIxZI1Dyb0zEVQMOzQ).jpg, Türbe of Abbas ibn Ali on Mount Tomorr File:Tyrbe on Mount Tomorr - Mapillary (594b8tPNXU8Xzg9iPMoobQ).jpg, Türbe of Abbas ibn Ali on Mount Tomorr File:Bektashi Tekke at Mount Tomorr - Mapillary (CnvmU7hfOSibcdQ9bZ79ew).jpg, Pilgrimage scene on 23 August 2014

Related sites

In Albania, there are several other sites with handprints and footprints attributed to Abbas ibn Ali.The Tomorr Mountain and the footprint of Abbas Ali

World Headquarters of the Bektashi The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center (; often simply known in Albanian as the ) is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of ...

. Accessed 19 September 2021. *The handprint of Abbas Ali, in Burgullas,

Skrapar Skrapar ( sq-definite, Skrapari) is a Municipalities of Albania, municipality in Berat County, Southern Albania, southern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Bogovë, Çepan, Çorovodë, Gjerbës, Leshnjë, Po ...

*The footprint of Abbas Ali, in Novaj,

*The footprint of Abbas Ali, in Kajcë, near Prisht,

*The footprint of Abbas Ali, in Rodhes,

*The footprint of Abbas Ali, in Taronin,

Çepan Çepan () is a village and a former municipality in Berat County, central Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and I ...

References

External links

The Tomorr Mountain and the footprint of Abbas Ali
(